Generic Keppra hits UCB sales

UCB’s sales fell 13% in 2009 as the pharma company faced the first full year of generic competition in the US for epilepsy drug Keppra.

The drug’s sales fell 28% to 913 million euros, largely as a result of a 58% decline in US revenues, depressing the company’s total sales which ended the year at 3.1 billion euros.

Recently launched products helped take the edge off the generic loses, with Crohn’s treatment Cimzia (certolizumab) growing 87% to 75 million euros and epilepsy treatment Vimpat (lacosamide) up 95% to 46 million euros. 

Chief executive Roch Doliveux said: "UCB is progressing to become a patient-centric global biopharmaceutical leader as we delivered three new medicines Cimzia, Vimpat and Neupro in five indications to patients living with serious diseases of the central nervous system and immunology. Our financial results are on track and our debt is successfully re-financed.”

Doliveux continued: “Another pillar of UCB's sustainable growth will be the realisation of the full potential of our core products: Cimzia, which we expect to reach peak sales of at least 1.5 billion Euro, Vimpat with expected peak sales of at least 1.2 billion Euro and Neupro with estimated peak sales of at least 400 million Euro.

"With the recent appointment of Ismail Kola as executive vice president, UCB and president of UCB New Medicines, we have underlined our commitment to a successful breakthrough phase bringing new medicines to the development pipeline and fostering further sustainable growth."

UCB’s outlook for 2010 sees an increased focus on core assets, re-deployment of its resources and further advancement of R&D with a simplification of its organisation.

Nevertheless the company expects a further decline in Keppra sales and predicts 2010 growth is likely to be flat with revenue of around 3 billion euros.